Midshipmen
by Saphire Lutin
Summary: All about the first day as a midshipman and when Archie and Horatio first meet please pleaseplease r and r


****

Midshipmen 

Now this is my first Hornblower fan fiction and if you haven't heard of Hornblower then it was a series of books that was turned into a TV show which is on every January. Ok so if that bored you enough this is more of a serious fan fiction as it is about the navy in approx. 1801. Just to let you know I'm made about Hornblower and I know everything about it and Hornblower is a guy who is actually called Horatio Hornblower and he doesn't know how to play a horn so don't even attempt to make fun of that NATASHA! (Confused, that's a friend of mine that likes to mock me) So I'm going to let you read this and I love reviews so don't be shy and tell me what you think. **P.S. For those of you who have seen Hornblower and you've probably not read the books I'm starting this a bit differently from it was originally started.**

Horatio, a young boy of thirteen stood apprehensively in the dock waiting for a small boat to take him to his new home for four months if all went well on a fifty-four gun frigate called the Indefatigable. His father who he had had an enormous fight with had gotten him a midshipman's position had sent Horatio to the navy to teach him some manners. Of course secretly this had always been Horatio dream.

He stared at the small and large fishing boats that were pulling in and out of dock to deliver all different sorts of fish and seafood. Every time he saw a boat with any type of naval crew on it he stepped forward to see if on the side it had Inde. written on it but for the last hour it had just been injured seamen being brought ashore. He look from side to side and hoped that another midshipman was also as lost as he was as this was his first ever voyage and apart from the different books he had been assigned to teach him all about frigates and sloops nothing had told him what to do to get on your frigate. The only reason he knew to stand in the dock was because a friendly admiral had told him to wait there obviously knowing he had never been on a ship before.

His brown rain mack was soaked so much so that the rain had gone through to his navy blue uniform underneath and white breaches. Once again he looked to the side and to his amazement a boy no older than him was standing only ten yards or so away. He also had a brown rainmack on which was soaked also but by the state of the boy's hat he had obviously seen some action as it was covered in black gunpowder from the cannons. 

He walked over nervously and hoped that the boy was also assigned to the Inde. or he would sound very stupid indeed.

"Excuse me?" the boy turned to look at Horatio with a huge grin on his face, which made Horatio feel a bit easier. "Are you on the Inde?"

"Yes, I am. First time, eh. I'm Archie, Archie Kennedy. I've only been on a sloop before but it so exciting getting on a frigate, how about you?"

Archie spoke in very proper english so Horatio supposed he had been brought up in high-class family, which confused him to think why Archie would want to join the Navy. Maybe it was a similar situation to his own as he also came from a high-class family.

"I'm Horatio Hornblower. You say you were on a sloop. You most know everything to do on a ship then."

"Not really." Archie replied. "My last ship was only at sea for a month before it was grounded so we had to spend another eight months on a fishing boat to try and get home. Only me and two of the lieutenants survived as far as I know."

As Archie said this Horatio started to feel very worried indeed.

"So how do you know when you are to come aboard?"

"Well, the ship will first of all signal. That's means officers aboard and then you get on one of those four white boats." He pointed to four small rowing boats that were bobbing at the front of the dock. Horatio felt very stupid that he had not recognized these before and prepared to hide his face, which he knew would eventually turn red.

"Oh don't be ashamed of no knowing that. I only found out when the fifth lieutenant had to come and get. Anyway you then tell the rower which ship and he takes you right to it. It simple after you find out. I hope we get a nice captain. Not saying anything but I heard that some of them can be horrid. Do you know who we're getting?"

"Um" Horatio looked in his pocket for his orders. Finally he found them and saw the name of the captain on the front.

"Someone called Captain Pellows. I heard he had been in the navy for years."

"That means he'll be strict. The old ones always are."

"He might not be."

"He will. I heard all the rumors from the crew on the last ship. They said if a captains not been promoted in ten years then they start to take out their frustration on the crew until everyone hates them and then they turn into even meaner admirals."

"Well I think you should not judge people on rumors and other people's personal opinions."

"I hope your right Horatio. Look there's the signal. See the yellow flag. Where's your trunk?"

"I don't have one. Why, do you need one?"

"Not really I suppose."

They got on to a very tiny rowing boat only big enough for three people and maybe a fourth if you sat so close to the person beside you that you could smell their breakfast. 

The rain had gone off now but Horatio's problems had only gotten worse as the motion the sea had started to make his very weak stomach sick. He tried everything to stop himself from throwing up but his face had turned from a white to pale green. This and the fact that he could die on his first voyage started to make him have doubts about the navy as a lifetime career.

"Are you alright?" asked Archie seeing the odd shade of Horatio's face.

"Just feel a bit sick, that's all."

"Seasickness. I had that but as you're on the ship you can hardly feel it move, until your in a storm that is."

"Thanks Archie. That makes me feel so much better." Replied Horatio sarcastically.

"You never told me what midshipman you are." Said Archie trying to think of something to keep Horatio's mind off of being sick.

"What do you mean."

"You know your papers."

"Yes."

"Well, the date at the top will tell you what midshipman you are, first or second."

Horatio take out his orders again.

"It says 12-1800"

"Oh. Mine is 2-1801. That means your first midshipman."

"How can I be first midshipman? I don't know anything about ships or what to do on one."

"Don't worry. I'll keep you right and as long as you keeping reading those books and don't get into bother, you'll be fine."

"Is that the ship?" ask Horatio inquisitively as he stared at the huge wooden frigate with at least eighty sails, and dusty brass at the bow obviously from when the ship had seen action. The new wood that had been put on the sides from where the ship had been hit by cannon balls or large sea creatures made the ship look a bit like a patch-work-quilt but the bold red printing on the side, which said HMS Indefatigable made the ship look more terrifying. It was also complete with its own mermaid on the stern, which was there for superstitious reasons.

"Yeah that's the Inde. alright, just remember when you go on board report to the first officer and not the captain otherwise they get very grumpy with you and you don't want the captain off you for the entire journey."

Horatio noticed the large ropes that connected the sails as he got closer to the ship and saw some of the crew climbing up the ropes. He looked even more worried than before.

"Archie, we don't have to climb up those ropes, do we?"

"I'm afraid we do. It's terrible climbing up in a storm. Just be glad your not afraid of heights. You not afraid of heights are you?"

"Just a little bit."

"Well the only advice I can give you is get rid of the fear quick and don't let any of the officers or crew see your afraid of heights either. If you've got a bad officer then they're more in likely to send you up and the crew will taught you until you're blue in the face."

They finally reached the ship and as Horatio climbed on board his stomach became a little easier although he still felt very sick. What Archie had said was true. Once he was on the ship the rocking motion wasn't as frequent, which was a good thing for Horatio.

He went to the first lieutenant that was Mr. Jamison and then reported to the head of his watch that was the fourth lieutenant, Mr. Hartley. Horatio was very happy to know that Archie was in his watch as well as another Midshipman called Mr. Bracegirdle who seemed very experienced and was about seventeen years of age. Although Bracegirdle didn't seem that friendly like Archie did on first meetings but there was still ten months to go and at least he had one friend on the ship even if he was now a little worried about his future career in the navy. There was one thing Horatio knew for sure. Him and Archie were going to be best friends for a long time to come. 


End file.
